Marek Barwiński
Articles
The ethnic structure of Poland in geographical research
Geographia Polonica (2015) vol. 88, iss. 1, pp. 41-63 | 
Full text
doi: https://doi.org/GPol.0005
Abstract
The article reviews geographical research into the ethnic structure in Poland carried out between the nineteenth century and the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century, on this basis identifying and citing the main research trends to ethnic studies engaged in by both historians and sociologists. The author presents what he considers the most important research topics to be addressed in further studies on the ethnicand ethno-regional minorities living in today’s Poland. Varied research methods are discussed, along with their benefits and limitations, and the paper concludes with a presentation of the main conditions influencing dynamic transformations of the ethnic structure in Poland, as well as the most important characteristics of the relationship between the Polish state and ethnic minorities.
Keywords: ethnic minorities, ethnic structure of Poland, political geography
, University of Łódź Faculty of Geographical Sciences Kopcińskiego 31, 90-142 Łódź: Poland e-mail: marbar@geo.uni.lodz.pl
Varia
Poles in the International Geography Olympiad (iGeo)
Geographia Polonica (2014) vol. 87, iss. 2, pp. 309-316 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/GPol.2014.19
Abstract
The article presents the nearly 20-year-long history of the International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) – from a modest start with 5 participating countries during the 1st Olympiad in the Hague, the Netherlands, to the 11th Olympiad that will be held this year in Kraków, Poland. The arrival of 37 teams from 5 continents has been confirmed. Poland has participated in all the iGeo’s. Polish participants finished in the top places several times, both individually and as a team. These results showcase the high standards of the Polish students and their teachers as well as the effectiveness of the geography education provided in Poland.
Keywords: geographical education, iGeo, International Geographical Union, International Geography Olympiad, Poland
, University of Łódź Faculty of Geographical Sciences Kopcińskiego 31, 90-142 Łódź: Poland e-mail: marbar@geo.uni.lodz.pl
, International Geographical Union Olympiad Task Force Podbipięty 2, 02-732 Warsaw: Poland
, University of Warsaw Faculty of Geology Żwirki i Wigury 93, 02-089 Warsaw: Poland
Articles
Geographia Polonica (2014) vol. 87, iss. 1, pp. 27-46 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/GPol.2014.2
Abstract
Contemporary Polish-Lithuanian relations are heavily burdened by radically different assessments of the situations of the national minorities in the two countries, i.e. Poles in Lithuania and Lithuanians in Poland. However, assessments are fraught with difficulties reflecting a complicated history and the different potentials of the two minorities, and also warped by a great many stereotypes. The main aim of this paper is to compare the situations of the Polish minority in Lithuania and the Lithuanian minority in Poland by reference to criteria that are objective (demographic potential, legal status, organisational activity, education) or subjective (the opinions of leaders of national organisations), as well as to attempt to determine how the different situations of the two minorities affects their relations with the authorities, the majority and the foreign homeland.
Keywords: ethnic geography, national minorities, interstate relations, Polish minority, Lithuanian minority, Polish-Lithuanian relations
, University of Łódź Faculty of Geographical Sciences Kopcińskiego 31, 90-142 Łódź: Poland e-mail: marbar@geo.uni.lodz.pl
, Department of Political Geography and Regional Studies Faculty of Geographical Sciences, University of Lodz